We personally love Alliance of Therapy Dogs, so this post (and this website in general) is absolutely going to favor that particular organization! With ATD, we have the freedom to volunteer and visit wherever we’d like, as long as we follow the rules set forth by the organization, which obviously makes sense since they insure us during our visits! The yearly fee is just $30 (though there’s a $10 one-time processing fee for new members, and a $20 background check fee to join, also).

If you want to take a shortcut and jump on the ATD website to figure out everything you need to know, have at it! If you want a little overview, stick around and I’ll go over everything here for you, too!

Preparedness: Of course you probably don’t want to get started with the background check and paperwork before you feel that your pup is ready to be a therapy dog! Alliance of Therapy Dogs doesn’t require any specific kinds of training or titles, but many people find that the Canine Good Citizen test is a pretty good baseline to determine whether or not you and your dog will be able to successfully pass the therapy dog test.

I tell people frequently that the ATD test is largely temperament based. Of course, your pup will have to be well-mannered with a solid foundation of basic obedience (including loose leash walking), but it’s also super important that your pup is friendly, personable, and not fearful or reactive.

You can head to this link to download the paperwork from ATD that includes the testing “rubric,” so to speak.

First Steps: I’m going to keep referring you to that Alliance of Therapy Dogs website, if you didn’t already notice! They’ll have you first submit your information and payment to complete a background check, and they’ll also provide some paperwork for your vet to complete before you can be tested as a potential therapy dog team. You can review all of their rules, as well, to ensure you’re prepared for the test, then you’ll use their website to find a Tester/Observer in your area and get scheduled!

If you’re in the Pittsburgh, PA area, I’d love to help you get started – I became a T/O with Alliance of Therapy Dogs in early 2022, about a year after we got certified as a therapy dog team. I’m happy to help you along the way and be a resource if you’ve got any questions regarding the process or preparedness in general!